The fall of the roamin’ empire

How the war on Iraq just might signify the sun setting on the west

And so it continues. Men and women who are by most...

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The Whole Hog: Apocalypse now?

The Whole Hog: Urban myths and bad science are influencing public debate

Our mention of urban myths in the last issue triggered another recollection. A study, the details of which are forgotten but it may have been for a Masters or PhD, focused on Irish urban myths, and found that a significant source of those myths was none other than the broadcaster Gay Byrne.

The Whole Hog: History Repeating Itself

The Long Goodbye

The daily papers carried news of Enda Kenny’s retirement as leader of Fine Gael on May 18, which just happened to be the birthday of Omar Khayyam, the Persian poet, philosopher and polymath. Coincidence? Yes. That said, it was Khayyam who wrote, “The moving finger writes: and, having written moves on: nor all thy piety nor with shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all thy tears wash out a word of it”.

Reshaping Dublin: Are Taller Buildings The Answer?

Planning in Ireland has always been inadequate – with the result that our cities and towns have a Gerry-built quality. But with iconic buildings and better civic spaces on the way, that may be about to change…

Frontlines - A measured response to "elitism"

Opinion: Are We Heading Towards An Orwellian Dystopia?

The planet was already heading towards a crisis. But political forces have recently been unleashed which will surely accelerate that process – and fast! So what will the world be like in 2040? It is a deeply troubling question…

Heart Of Darkness

No stone left unturned

Good old Keef’s autobiography is every bit as entertaining and enlightening as you might expect. Even more entertaining, though, is the turmoil which has engulfed Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in recent weeks...

An honest man who tried his best in difficult times

The New Disposessed

Political upheaval inevitably creates a wave of refugees and the Arab uprisings have proved no different. The real is question is, how should Europe respond to the human rights tragedy on its doorstep?

Suitable For Miners

Financial Apocalypse Now

Our worst fears have come true – the bankers have bankrupted Ireland for a generation. What to do now? Well for one thing, let’s stop despairing. And when the next election comes around, be prepared to make your vote count...

Underestimating the Value of Culture

The Message: We move in hysterical ways

There's been no lack of scandals rocking this country in recent years – but does that justify the huge outpourings of hysteria in the media recently? And just what is the difference between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael?

The Message: They were aided and abetted by the state

It is right that the religious should have to pay for the appalling actions of their members, and the cover-ups for which the religious bosses were responsible. But we should not forget the part that the State played.

Taxing times for the powers that be

As fiscal Armageddon looms, the Irish Government is faced with tough choices. In considering its options, it would do well to remember the lessons to be learned from past experience – in particular the fact that the Poll Tax marked the beginning of the end for Margaret Thatcher

In praise of Lisa Feeney

Secrets and lies

With Archbishop Diarmuid Martin seeking to undo much of the harm and distrust caused by his predecessor, Cardinal Desmond Connell, could we at last be seeing a change in the Church's attitude to victims of sexual abuse?

Good time Charlie's got the blues

From 1977 to 2007 in 30 steps

It’s a different world than it used to be! In this special extended birthday column, The Hog takes a necessarily selective – and typically colourful – look at the 30 most important influences on the process of change that has brought this country all the way from there to… well, where else but here?

The many strands of citizenship

Where's Judge Roy Bean when you need him?

Back in the days of the Wild West, Judge Roy Bean presided over his court as ‘the law west of the Pecos’. Rough and ready, and largely self-taught, his constituency included chancers, fleeing miscreants, vagabonds, thieves, murderers as well as homesteaders and frontier entrepreneurs.

Comical Ali

Luas Talk

This was the year that a lot of frustration boiled over, steaming and fuming and effing to high heaven. A major target was the LUAS, Dublin’s answer to a question that’s out of date and wasn’t being asked anyway, a white elephant generated by people who were besotted with the idea that trams are, to quote Frank McDonald of the Irish Times, ‘civilising’.

It's grim up north

The selective 'war on terror'

The Coalition blitzkrieg on Iraq is part of a wider “war on terror.” says George Bush. To justify this claim, he and Tony Blair made one feeble attempt at being as hard on the causes of terror as on terror itself, when they collaborated with the UN, the EU and Russia to publish what they called the Middle East ‘road map’.

Complete control

How intolerant can we become? It’s a challenging question. We have already become one of the least tolerant and aggressive societies on earth. Few can compete. But 2003 witnessed an upsurge in control culture. This is especially the case in ‘official’ circles. There are six causes.